Matching Hearts
by Phantom Shyraz
Summary: Chocolate makes the world go round, chocolate makes the world stop still. Chocolate can end a conflict, but also cause conflicting emotions. But will chocolate cause jealousy or will chocolate end inadequacy? -ONE SHOT-


Disclaimer: The works of Detective Conan and Magic Kaito belongs to Gosho Aoyama-sensei.

A/N: Written for Poirot Cafe Themed contest. I wanted something sweet, fluffy, romantic and suitable for February.

Theme: Hearts.

* * *

 **-Matching Hearts-**

 _ **-Side R-**  
_  
February had always been quite a laid back month for Ran, with very little to prepare for school and so few holidays, it was one of those months that was mostly spent indoors because of the sudden change in weather. Her father's business were slower in the same months as well, probably because it was still technically the start of the year so everyone was still trying to get their bearings (or was still trying to unearth some deadly plot). However, the one hiccup that is always associated with February were the sudden influx in shopping malls and Sonoko's bunch of nervous energy that somehow always manages to set Ran on edge. This year, however, had the additional stress in the form of an overly energetic girl and a somewhat aloof girl standing in front of the house.

"Ayumi-chan? Ai-chan?" The pair of nine year-olds stood patiently at the entrance with a plastic bag full of grocery between them. Although Conan returned to live with his family, the detective boys still liked to drop into the Mouri detective agency from time to time. That being said, they normally come during their walk from school and rarely comes by during the weekend. Ran was slightly apprehensive to the contents of the bag but still managed a small smile for the girls as she bent down to meet them at eye level. "What can I help you with."

"Ran-neesan, we were wondering if you can teach us to make chocolates." Ayumi beamed up at the older girl with hopeful eyes. Ran couldn't help but giggle slightly. She had suspected that sooner or later, there two would end up at her doorsteps hoping for a few pointers in chocolate making. It was no secret that young Ayumi had a small crush on Conan but with the boy now away from Japan, she wondered who the recipient of the chocolate would be.

"Is there someone in particular you want to give?" She invited the pair to come inside before serving them with juice.

"We wanted to put a bit of practice in before we actually have someone to give it to." Ai spoke up confidently. "We know enough about how to make it but never had a chance to actually make it."

"Well..." Ran looked at the small kitchen to the side of the sitting area. "I don't mind but I don't think my kitchen is equipped for all three of us."

"But we can't do it in the Professor's place because he's having guests over." Ayumi added somewhat dejectedly. "And my parents are home right now, I don't want my dad to know since I want to make it for him first."

Ran could understand, her father had also been the first Guinea Pig for all her cooking, especially her chocolates. She remembered the numerous times she failed before being hauled by an adamant Sonoko to that chocolate camp a year or so ago. The successful chocolate had been delivered, in the vaguest sense, to its intended recipient and a return gift was given in return. Though she would have been much happier if said recipient would show his face more than once-in-a-blue-moon at that time. Now, however, it seems she could not go without a day of seeing his face, not that she was complaining.

After careful consideration to the location for their practice, there was only one place that she could think of that had a large enough kitchen and would be mostly unoccupied with the require utensils.

"Come on Ayumi-chan, Ai-chan, I have just the place in mind." Grabbing on her coat from her bedroom, she offered to carry the plastic bag as they walked down the familiar path towards a certain detective's home.

"Are you sure Shinichi-niisan wouldn't mind?" Ayumi asked with a tug on Ran's hands when she recognised the road they were travelling. Ai gave an amused smirk but decided to keep quiet. It was as though the girl knew this all along and had planned to tag along for some odd reason.

"Shinichi is out of town for the weekend." She thought back to the rushed message delivered to her in the early hours of morning. She would have called to scold him if the message did not sound so urgent. "He never minded me dropping by to give the house a dusting before so he shouldn't mind now for me using the kitchen." Unlocking the front door, she ushered the girls inside before directing them towards the kitchen.

Like always, the little used kitchen was pretty much spotless with only a single coffee mug left drying by the sink. Shaking her head, she placed the bag of ingredients on the kitchen counter and began sorting through them. There were several packets of cooking chocolate along with some cocoa powder, icing sugar, and food colouring. She checked the fridge for milk, thankfully more than enough for what they are intending to do. Though she will have to restock the fridge after they were done for the day. Folding up the sleeves, she motioned for the girls to pull up their chairs towards the counter and began instructing them to select the chocolate while she boil the milk.

"Are you planning on making some as well Ran-neechan?" While Ai-chan seemed extremely focused on her work of melting the chocolate to prevent any of the hot milk from spilling over the bowl, Ayumi was more messy and were busy trying to clean off the mess on her hands by licking the extra chocolate off.

"Maybe, but not today." In truth, Ran had been thinking about making them closer to the day. That way, the chocolate would keep better. She had been thinking about adding flavouring to it, seeing as Shinichi had commented last time. Maybe she really should go for the peach flavour instead of leaving the chocolates plain this time.

"It's true that fresh chocolate would only keep for around a week so you're better off making them next week." Ai finally managed to melt all the chocolate and was reaching for the silicon mold. "At least that way you can ensure they wouldn't bloom."

"What _bloom_? You mean like a flower?" Ayumi scraped the side of her bowl of not fully-melted chocolate before reaching for another mold.

"Didn't Edogawa-kun explain it before? It's when the chocolate hardens too quickly and a white dust-like layer form. I remember there was a case on that sometime ago."

Ran sighed, it was kind of sad to hear children so young talking about cases. But then again, they were Conan's friends and the boy had a knack for stumbling upon them on a daily basis. She eyed the two heart molds with a speculative eye, wondering what sorts of decoration the girls would put on their creation. There were a few packets of premade icing flowers and sugar stars in the grocery bag and she wondered in they would let her have the remaining unused decorations. It would be a shame to waste them.

When the chocolates were left out in the counter to cool down, the three went about to clear up the kitchen and the sticky mess. They would not be able to turn out the chocolate until later in the afternoon so Ran decided to treat the girls to cakes at a cafe in the shopping district.

 _ **-Side S-**  
_  
The continuous ringing abruptly disturbed the peaceful dream in Shinichi. He struggled to pinpoint the source of the sound and reached out with fumbling hands and scrunched up eyes. Blearily, he took a look at the on-screen clock and moaned before putting the device to his ear.

"You better have a good reason for this call at predawn else I'm going smash a football to your face the next time I see you." Shinichi thinks he said all that but between his dream-muddled mind and cracked voice, he wasn't sure how much passed through the speaker.

" _Kudo, thank heavens! I need a favour._ " The recognisable Osaka accent was heavy and the voice was much too clear for someone who is supposed to be sleeping.

"You have three seconds before I try and figure out how to eviscerate you from this end of the line." He warned as he tucked the phone between his ear and the pillow, trying to fall back asleep.

" _I…_ " The sudden silence made Shinichi crack his eye open a sliver more as he waited for the detective on the other end to compose his thoughts. Sighing, he could actually guess at what had the Osakan tongue-tied.

"You messed up, you taunted Toyama rather than admitting your feelings to her, you've been tossing and turning for the whole night and wanted to know what you could do to make things right." He remembered his western counterpart saying something along the lines of finding a nice spot and admitting his feelings.

" _Yea...that…_ " Embarrassment did not begin to describe the feelings permeating from the speaker of the phone. "So? Ya 'ave any idea?"

"This does not warrant a 5am wakeup call on a Saturday morning." He knew the Osaka detective was probably in a mess after what transpired and as much as it pains him to leave the comfort of his bed, he still wanted to repay the Osakan the favour for helping with his own love life a year or-so ago. "Give me a couple of hours."

" _Cool bro! I'll see you mid-morning!_ " Somehow, Hattori knew he would be taking the Shinkansen over to Osaka that day just to consult him (or comfort him depending on how much he screwed up).

Firing off a quick message apologising to Ran for not being able to take her out to the brunch he agreed to earlier in the week (another missed promise, he had to make it up to her somehow), he grabbed a random change of clothes and an overnight bag to prepare for the weekend trip away.

"Oi! Kudo!" Hattori shouted from the station exit. He looked like he had been through the wringer with his deep eyebags and messy hair, quite unlike what Shinichi had been used to seeing.

"Ok, you look like you could fall over any second. It shouldn't be so bad, you've been up for cases before."

"Yea, but this isn't a case or anything. This is Kazuha and she'll have my head!" Shinichi wasn't really sure how the girl could incite such fear. This wasn't like himself a Ran, where Ran is a Karate expert and can easily injure him with just a pinkie finger alone (ok, he was exaggerating, Ran would likely snap him in half instead). Both of the Osakans were martial arts expert, so any bodily harm could easily be evaded.

"Come on, let's get you back and we can talk you through it." Heaving another sigh, Shinichi led them towards the line of taxi, quite certain the Osakan had not driven his motorcycle to meet him at the station. The dark-skinned detective was already slightly unstable on his feet, let alone trying to balance on two wheels.

Inside the large traditional house, Shinichi was surprised to note the elder Hattoris were gone for the weekend as well, both a blessing and a curse at this particular time. A blessing as it meant they have the house to themselves to destroy, a curse as there will be not distractions for Hattori to dwell on.

"Now then," sitting at the dining room table, he stared at Hattori across from him nursing his cup of tea, "how on earth did you manage to screw things up badly this time? Toyama isn't the type of girl to be mad at you over something so simple."

Hattori began to describe the events of yesterday after school in detail. The various little actions and emotions that passed between them underneath the evergreen tree, which seems normal to Hattori but with Shinichi's limited knowledge on the fairer half of the population, even he knew it would be a bad idea to compare a girl with someone else, or miss a compliment, or even made a joke about something they cared deeply about. It was worst when Hattori managed to do all three and more, which included but not limited to him rambling on about some inane topic (Shinichi had unfortunately done so on numerous occasions with Ran, which earned him a cold shoulder), suddenly running off (again, Shinichi had also made the same offence and thankfully Ran had been quite understanding), being late (another shared offence, though Ran was more concerned whether Shinichi was critically injured rather than actually being mad) and strangely enough paying for and holding onto everything then declaring his partner to not lift a finger (Shinichi had discussed this with Ran the first time they were official, it was something he thought to be gentlemanly but Ran seemed to think otherwise. It took some explaining but after coming to agreement that, yes, as the man in the relationship, Shinichi should pay for their outings and help with the bags, and no, this does not mean Ran was weak and feeble, Shinichi was lobbed with the responsibilities that came with his new title as Ran's boyfriend).

"You've managed to cross all three check-boxes in the 'do-not-do' list and then some." He said in a bland manner with a shake of his head. Shinichi searched his mind for a possible solution (or amendment) to this particular problem. Taking a look at the hanging calendar, an idea began to form. He knew enough for this particular venture and it would help with his own surprise. "Alright, we're first going shopping." He announced.

Hattori's eyes widened a fraction in surprise. Shinichi replied nonverbally with a shift of his head.

"I don't need no shoppin' therapy Kudo." Hattori muttered after having been explained to, in much detail, about how badly he made the situation.

"It's not therapy, it's to make-up for all the things you've said, and those that you haven't said, to Toyama. Unless you want your relationship to end prematurely, I'd suggest you get up and come with me before I take my bags and return to Tokyo."

The shopping district was unfortunately littered with people, mostly girls, all rushing about to the nearest supermarket. It was that time of year where girls would begin to panic and become frantic, where boys would smarten up their acts and become more chivalrous. Shinichi had ignored all this in the past but this year, it would be a little bit different. This year, he finally had someone in particular to share the special occasion with. And he will be damned if he did not make sure everything was perfect. Though before anything else, he would have to sort out the mess Hattori landed himself in.

Grabbing a metal basket by the entrance, Shinichi eyed the signs above the aisle and directed them to a particular section with colourful decorations and even more bodies standing in front of shelves. He should have just followed the sounds of arguments instead of searching the signs.

"Should have known." Shaking his head, he began to elbow his way through the mass of bodies without feeling much guilt seeing as many of those elbows were returned with stiletto heels to his own feet and equally sharp elbows to his own spleen, with Hattori looking forlornly at the side. He triumphantly returned to the Osakan detective, with much bruising and pain, holding two large bars wrapped in foil and paper packaging. "This will be the solution to your problems. I know enough to guide you through it but I suggest this to be a practice run. I highly doubt you can make anything in your first try, especially since you don't normally enter the kitchens for anything other than a drink of water."

"Kudo, ya''re a genius!"

Shinichi swears the Osakan was going to launch himself at him to hug the life out of him but at least he had the decency to restrain himself to an amicable pat on the back. However, Shinichi still stayed clear of Hattori just in case he had the sudden urge to follow his emotion.

 _ **-Side R-**  
_  
"Hey Ran." Ran startled in front of the cashier as Shinichi approached her from behind, body standing close enough to feel the warmth. Hastily, she shifted some of the groceries about to obstruct certain ingredients. It would not do to ruin the surprise she had in store for him. "I thought you said you were busy after school? I could have walked you to the supermarket you know."

It surprised Ran when she found out Shinichi had not liked to be separated from her ever since the end of his long case. Something must have spooked Shinichi during that case and he never wanted to let her out of his sight, especially after his confession. To this day, Ran was still slightly overwhelmed and touched by the gesture. The typical, afterschool confession at the roof of the school building on a sunny Wednesday afternoon straight after their maths class. Though if Ran was honest, she had expected Shinichi to confess in a high-class restaurant under dim lighting overlooking Tokyo's best night-view or some such romantic gesture. However, the confession at school was more down-to-earth and suited Ran better (but she would never say no to a romantic dinner, after all, all girls loved to be pampered at some point).

"It was suddenly cancelled so I thought I'd stop by on the way back home." She moved the basket to the other side just in case Shinichi managed a glimpse. She had to figure out a way to distract the detective before her turn at the cashier. "What about you? Just returning from the station?"

Shinichi held up his own basket consisting of mostly coffee-related products, some staple such as flour and salt along with several packets of instant noodles. There were at least some fruit in there that Ran could see, but the most obvious was the pre-cooked bento on top.

"It's not good to eat pre-made meals all the time." She admonished. Though somehow, she could understand the reluctance to cook for oneself. It was quite dampening to know that no one would enjoy the food except from yourself. Ran had felt so when Conan had left, when her father went out on tailing cases and she was left alone at home. At least then, Shinichi had always took notice of when she would be eating dinner alone and had managed to coax Ran to eat with him. "You can go grab some basic ingredients, meat and vegetables, I'll drop off my own groceries at home then I'll come by your place and we can have dinner together. Though I expect you to do the cooking this time."

Shinichi gave a cheeky salute before heading in the direction of the fresh produce. Now all Ran had to do was pay for the things, bring them back home, dinner with Shinichi, and hopefully have enough time to make that chocolate for Valentine's day tomorrow.

 _ **-Side ?-**  
_  
Early next morning, Ran crept into the Kudo mansion, hoping to put her neatly wrapped gift somewhere for Shinichi to find and surprise him (and hopefully able to capture a picture of the sleeping detective to return that message from a year ago). There were not many options as Shinichi tends to be less observant in the morning, almost to the point of wondering aimlessly and hitting his head on the door jambs in his semi-sleep. There was an endearing quality to seeing Shinichi fumbling and stumbling around when Ran caught him unawares. Though there was definitely one particular place he would pay attention to. Walking towards the kitchen with cat-like feet, she gently ease open the fridge.

Unfortunately she was not prepared to see what was inside the fridge (thankfully, it was not a body part, who knows how much the detective nerd wanted to emulate his role model).

Shocked, she saw a heart-shaped chocolate held inside a cardboard box with its transparent lid, perfectly tempered with its glossy sheen and intricately decorated with white icing flowers drawn onto the dark surface. There were no names or card and it was apparent it was handmade. Biting the bottom of her lips, she glanced at the cardboard box in her own hand, suddenly feeling not so confident about her own creation. It was too plain, lacks in details and technique, and could not hold a candle to the masterpiece sitting so innocently inside the fridge.

"How could I compare…" She tightened her hold of the box, somewhat tempted to throw it out the window to pretend it never happened. It might have been strange to see such a creation inside the fridge but she was sure it was made by none other than the residing detective. "You'll think my efforts are a joke…" She muttered dejectedly as she stared at the box with saddened eyes.

"Ran?" Shinichi's voice startled Ran and she quickly slammed the fridge door shut. A sleepy Shinichi leaned against the doorframe, not at all bothered by Ran inside the kitchen. "Why are you here so early? I thought we're meeting up in the afternoon?" A yawn escaped Shinichi as he stumbles towards the counter to grab a mug and the can of instant coffee. It had taken him the time to actually boil the water and make the coffee before his eyes widened and turned his head quickly towards Ran who was still standing with her back pressed against the fridge. "RAN?!"

Shinichi looked like he was either hyperventilating or suffering from a anaphylactic shock.

"Morning Shinichi." Ran shuffled away with her back facing the wall, the box hidden behind her back and hopefully out of sight of the now fully awake detective. "I thought I'd come to make you breakfast or something...to...um...you know...for yesterday's dinner." The uncharacteristic stutter alerted Shinichi and he glanced between the girl in front of him and the fridge door.

"You didn't...um...you opened the fridge haven't you?" He scratched his cheeks in embarrassment before deciding that since Ran saw it, he might as well admit to it. "Um...that's for you. I thought you might like something like that. It's always been you who's giving me chocolates all these years so...I thought I'd swap it around a bit and...you know...it just happened…" Shinichi shifted his weight between his legs, the mug of coffee laid happily forgotten on the kitchen counter. He did not mind giving the gift early but he will vehemently deny having made it especially with Ran in mind, he chose the Orchid for that very reason instead of the typical rose motifs. He was sure if Ran knew, she would either tease him or become overly emotional, neither of the outcomes favourable in Shinichi's mind.

Ran remained in place as Shinichi opened the fridge doors once more. It wasn't his intention to present his gift in his pajamas, half startled awake, and haven't even brushed his teeth or hair properly. He knew he probably looked foolish but there really was no helping it now.

"Here. I want you to have this. " He presented the box towards Ran, who still had both her hands behind her back. "You would have to wait on the flowers though. I still need to pick them up from the florist."

Ran hesitated before reaching out to take the gift and inadvertently allowed Shinichi to see the box she had been holding.

"Is that…?" Shinichi's eyes were drawn to the pastel pink box tied with a white ribbon. He could guess the contents of the box already, knowing full well what today's date was.

"Yea, it's for you." She exchanged her box for Shinichi's. "It's not as nice as yours looked but...you said you wanted to try a peach-flavoured chocolate…" Shinichi was sure if Ran's hands were free, she would be wringing them right that instant. It was unlike the girl in front of him to be so nervous.

Shinichi took the box with a stupid grin on his face. Opening the lid, it was a plain brown heart with a line of white icing as a border for the shape and a pair of heart decals stuck at the center. It was simple, standard, and quite like the one he had a year ago. But he did not care much much for the flavour or the looks. He only cared that Ran had made it for him and it was all that mattered.

 **-END-**


End file.
